Marking machine for laundry articles



Oct. 6 1925 L. 5. SMITH, JR

MARKING MACHINE FOR LAUNDRY ARTICLES Fled Jan. 12, 1925 Patented Oct. 6, 1925.

UNITED STATES LEoNARns. SMITH, an, or CINCINNATI, OHIO.

MARKING MACHINE FOR LAUNDRY ARTICLES.

Application filed January 12, 1925. Serial No. 1,996.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEONARD S. SMITH, J12, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of'C-hio, have invented a certain new and useful Marking Machine forLaund'ry Articles, of which the follow- .ing is a specification.

My invention relates to, and consists in, certain improvements upon that type of marking machines for laundry articles which is illustrated. and described in United States Letters Patent Number 927,487 issued to C. V. Canine, July 13, 1909. In machines of this class there is usually provided aseries of type wheels arranged side by side, and so constructed that each type wheel may be independently rotated to move a predetermined type, upon the face thereof, to position for printing, and when all of the type wheels have been thus moved, the selected types are arranged in line for printing position, and the same combination of letters or numerals may be repeatedly printed from said type wheels while they are held in such position. V

In a machine of this kind it is desirable that, when the type wheels have been moved to position for presenting any given com- 2o bination of'letters or numerals at the print ing point, said type wheels be firmly and securely held: in accuratealinement, and it is also desirable that'thisaccuracy of alinementmay be readily, quickly and easily atthe machine parts and subsequently in the event that any type wheels should fail to properly aline with the other.

The object of my invention is to provide construction, whereby, during the original assembling of the machine, the type wheel moving and locking means maybe readily and quickly ad usted with relatlon to eachl thus adjusted they may be firmly held in such adjustedposition,andin' the event that the ad3ustin'g and holding mechamsm' for any type wheel: should for any reason be moved so thatthe'corresponding type wheel v would. not he in alineme-nt with the others, an adjustment to renew thealinement may tained, both in the original assembling of means of simple, durable and' inexpensive be readily and easily made. by unskilled operators. 7

A; further object is to effectcertain economies in construction and standardization of of a marking machine embodying my invention.

Figure 2 shows a detail front elevation illustrating a series of type wheels and their actuating toothed segments and" the adjust ing and locking levers applied to the segment. I

Figure 3 shows an enlarged, detail, sectional view illustrating a portion of one of the toothed segments, a: portion of the notched locking-bar andone of the; adjusting and locking levers, and an adjustable arm forconnecting the locking lever with the toothed segment; and

Figure 4 shows a front elevation of same.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I have used the reference numeral 10 to-indicate the frame-upon which the type wheels and type wheel adjusting and locking mechanism is mounted. This frame is preferafbly mounted for tilting movement upon a stationary shaft 11', and 12 indicates a printingplaten in stationary position to be engaged by the type wheels when the frame 10 is swung through an arc downwardly and forwardly. This construction is now ingeneral' use and is known as the drop head construction of marking machines.

Mounted within. the frame 10 is a series. of" type wheels 13. The periphery of each is toothed, and on the outer face of each there is usually placed a type character not shown. These type wheels are independently rotatable on their support. Mounted withinthe frame 10 is a series of toothed sectors 14', one for eachtype wheel. They are all pivoted on the shaft 15, and the teeth of each coacts with the teeth of the corresponding type wheel 13, so that a segmental movement of the toothed sector through, say for instance, an arc of the length often of the sector teeth will effect a corresponding movement of the associated type wheel through an arc of ten teeth space of the type wheel. This construction is of the ordinary kind now in common use and w l be readily understood.

Above each toothed sector there is fined to the frame a notched locking bar 16 designed to aid in holding the toothed sectors in any position to which they may be adjusted.

Above each of the notched locking bars is a locking lever device comprising a body portion 17, to which there is connected an upwardly extended stationary handle 18. Pivoted to the body portion. 17 is a lever 19, which lever is in turn pivotally connected to a slide bolt 20 mounted for longitudinal movement in the body 17. Its lower end is preferably beveled to a sharp point at 21, and a spring 22 is provided for yieldingly holding the slide bolt downwardly and the lever 19 at its limit away from the hand e 17.

My present invention is particularly concerned with the means for connectingthese locking lever devi es with the toothed sectors, and this means comprises a short arm extended upwardly from the upper end of each sector and formed with two screw threaded openings in vertical alineiacnt with each other to receive the screws 24- and 25. The body l'iis formed with a vertical slot, as shown in Figure 4:, and also with two screw threaded openings designed to receive the screws 26 and 27 passing through the slot 28.

Between the short arm 23 and the locking lever device, I have provided an adjustable connecting arm29, preferably formed of apiece of strap metal and having at its lower end a transverse slot 30 to receive the screw 25,'a round opening 31 to it the screw 24, a transverse slot 82 to receive the screw 27, and a round opening 33 to lit the screw 26.

Upon referring to Figure 2, it will be seen that the body portions of the group of toothed sectors 14 are assembled together side by side in a much smaller space than are the corresponding locking levers. Hence, in order to connect, for instance, the locking lever at the right, as shown in Figure 2, with the corresponding toothed sector 14 at the right, as shown in Figure 2, it is necessary that the arms 23 and 29 extend laterally and then upwardly, and that this lateral inclination in the different arms 29 is at dififerent angles for each toothed sector. Since, however, the arms 23 and also the arms 28 are made of flat metal, they may be readily and easily given the desired shape, and may be cut to the desired length.

In this connection it is to be understood that all of the arms 23 can be made of ex- .actly the same length, and all of the locking lever devices can be made of identical size and shape, and that it is only necessary to make the arms 29 of slightly difierent lengths for their different positions in the assembled machine.

Assuming that a machine of this character is being assembled, the operator connects all of the parts as shown, but does not tighten the two screws 27 and 25. He then moves all of the type wheels to position where their types perfectly aline, and when this is being done, all of the locking lever devices stand in position with the beveled lowerends of their locking bolts accurately positioned in one of the beveled notches of the notched locking bar 16. Then the locking lever devices may, if necessary, be tilted forwardly or rearwardly until the bolts 20 project accurately in direction radially outwardly from the notched locking bars, and in making this adjustment it may at times be necessary to tilt or incline the arm 29 relative to the arm 23, although in most instances it is only necessary to tilt or incline the locking lever device slightly relative to the arm 29, but either or both adjustments may be readily and quickly made, because during such adj ustment the type wheels are held in line and the locking lever devices are held in their respective notches. Hence, the operator may readily and quickly make the necessary tilting movements of the arm 29, or the locking lever devices, as the case may be, and then when the bolt 20 is at the proper angle with relation to the notched locking bar, the screws 27 and 25 may then be tightened and the screws 26 and 24: may also be tightened, thus permanently securing together the associated parts, and thereafter when'any locking lever device is adjusted, relative to its notched locking bar, the corresponding type will be moved to perfect printing position and securely held.

Furthermore, if, for any cause during the use of the marking machine, any type wheel should fail to properly aline with the other, an unskilled operator may readily and quickly effect a perfect alinement by loosening the screws 24:, 25, 26 and 27, or some of them, and moving the parts to position for alining the type and keeping the locking bolts 20 in radial positions relative to the notched locking bar, and then again tighten the said screws.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a toothed type wheel, a toothed sector co-operating with the type wheel, anotched locking bar adjacent to the toothed sector, a lever locking device including a slide bolt to co-operate with and enter the notches of the notched locking bar, and ameans for adjustably connecting V the said sector and the lever locking device, comprising an arm ad ustably secured Hit) to the toothed sector and also adjustably secured to the lever locking device.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a toothed type wheel, a toothed sector co-operating with the type wheel, a notched locking bar adjacent to the toothed sector, a lever locking device including a slide bolt to co-operate with and enter the notches of the notched locking 1\ bar, and a means for adjustably connecting toothed sector co-operating with the type wheel, a notched locking bar adjacent to the toothed sector, a lever locking device in cluding a slide bolt to co-operate with and enter the notches of the notched locking bar, and a means for adjustably connecting the said sector and the lever locking device,

, comprising an arm fixed to the sector and provided at its upper end with a transverse slot and a round opening above the slot, and screws passed through the said slot and arm and seated in the said lever locking device, for the purposes stated.

4. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a series of toothed type wheels rotatively mounted side by side, a series of toothed sectors mounted for cooperative movement with the type wheels, each sector being formed with a short arm extended upwardly from it, a series of notched locking bars one for each toothed sector, said notched locking bars being spaced apart from each other at greater distances than are the corresponding toothed sectors, a series of lever locking devices, one for each notched locking bar and all of the same size and shape, and each having a slide bolt to engage the notches of its corresponding notched locking bar, each also having a slotted lower end provided with two screw threaded openings, and an adjustable connecting arm for each of said lever locking devices, said arms being of different lengths and each being formed at its lower end with a transverse slot and a round opening, and also at its upper end with a transverse slot and a round opening, the upper end being inserted in the slot in the corresponding locking lever device, screws passed through said opening and slot in the lower end of the arm and seated in the adjacent toothed sector, and screws passed through the lever locking device and through the slot and opening in the upper end of the arm, substantially as and for the purpose stated.

Des Moines, Iowa, December 18, 1924.

LEONARD S. SMITH, JR. 

